Excel formula for Beginners – How to Sort by two columns in Excel

(Excel examples for Beginners)

In this end-to-end excel example, you will learn – Excel formula for Beginners – How to Sort by two columns in Excel.

 

Excel formula for Beginners – How to Sort by two columns in Excel

Generic formula

=SORTBY(data,col1,order,col2,order)

Summary

To sort by two columns, you can use the SORTBY function. In the example shown, data is sorted first by the Group column in ascending order, then by the Score column in descending order. The formula in F5 is:

=SORTBY(B5:D14,D5:D14,1,C5:C14,-1)

The result is data sorted by group, then by score, with highest scores appearing first.

Explanation

In the example shown, we want to sort data in B5:D14 first by group in descending order. Here is the configuration needed:

  • array = B5:D14
  • by_array1 = D5:D14
  • sort_order1 = 1

The formula below will sort data by group A-Z:

=SORTBY(B5:D14,D5:D14,1) // sort by group only

To extend the formula to sort next by score, in descending order, we need to add:

  • by_array2 = C5:C14
  • sort_order2 = -1

With these arguments added, the complete formula is:

=SORTBY(B5:D14,D5:D14,1,C5:C14,-1)

Ascending vs. Descending

Data is sorted in ascending order (A-Z) by default. This behavior is controlled by the sort_order arguments. Sort_order can be set to 1 (ascending) or -1 (descending). The formula below is the same as above except that it sorts scores in ascending order:

=SORTBY(B5:D14,D5:D14,1,C5:C14,1)

Personal Career & Learning Guide for Data Analyst, Data Engineer and Data Scientist

Applied Machine Learning & Data Science Projects and Coding Recipes for Beginners

A list of FREE programming examples together with eTutorials & eBooks @ SETScholars

95% Discount on “Projects & Recipes, tutorials, ebooks”

Projects and Coding Recipes, eTutorials and eBooks: The best All-in-One resources for Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer and Software Developer

Topics included: Classification, Clustering, Regression, Forecasting, Algorithms, Data Structures, Data Analytics & Data Science, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Programming Languages and Software Tools & Packages.
(Discount is valid for limited time only)


Disclaimer: The information and code presented within this recipe/tutorial is only for educational and coaching purposes for beginners and developers. Anyone can practice and apply the recipe/tutorial presented here, but the reader is taking full responsibility for his/her actions. The author (content curator) of this recipe (code / program) has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information was correct at time of publication. The author (content curator) does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from accident, negligence, or any other cause. The information presented here could also be found in public knowledge domains.

Learn by Coding: v-Tutorials on Applied Machine Learning and Data Science for Beginners

Please do not waste your valuable time by watching videos, rather use end-to-end (Python and R) recipes from Professional Data Scientists to practice coding, and land the most demandable jobs in the fields of Predictive analytics & AI (Machine Learning and Data Science).

The objective is to guide the developers & analysts to “Learn how to Code” for Applied AI using end-to-end coding solutions, and unlock the world of opportunities!